Single-nucleosome imaging reveals principles of transient multiscale chromatin unfolding triggered by histone ADP-ribosylation at DNA lesions

Timely access to DNA lesions is crucial for genome integrity. This process requires profound remodeling of densely packed chromatin to establish a repair-competent architecture. However, limited resolution has made it impossible to fully understand these remodeling events. Here, combining microirradiation with live-cell multiscale imaging, we report that DNA damage-induced changes in genome packing rely on the conformational behaviour of the chromatin fiber. Immediately after damage, a transient increase in nucleosome mobility switches chromatin from a densely-packed state to a looser conformation, making it accessible to repair. While histone poly-ADP-ribosylation is required to trigger this switch, mono-ADP-ribosylation is sufficient to maintain the open-chromatin state. The removal of these histone marks by the ARH3 hydrolase then leads to chromatin recondensation. Together, our multiscale study of chromatin dynamics establishes a global model: distinct waves of histone ADP-ribosylation control nucleosome mobility, triggering a transient breathing of chromatin, crucial for initiating the DNA damage response.